Photo Credit: Becca Bousquet
2007 New York Rising
Stars
CHEFS:
Michael Anthony,
Gramercy Tavern
Eric Hara,
Davidburke & Donatella
Craig Hopson, Picholine
Chris Lee, Gilt
Akhtar Nawab, The EU
Masato Shimizu, 15 East
Yosuke Suga,
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Damon Wise, Craft
PASTRY CHEFS:
Tim Butler, Alto
Bill Corbett, Anthos
HOTEL CHEF AWARD:
Doug Psaltis, Country
SUSTAINABILITY AWARD:
Daniel Eardley, Chestnut
RESTAURANT CONCEPT AWARD:
Chris Santos, The Stanton Social
MIXOLOGIST:
Jim Meehan, PDT
SOMMELIER:
Stephane Colling, The Modern |
by StarChefs EditorsAugust 2007
Click
here for more information about the New York Stars Revue on
September 18 at mansion
Another year, another incredible set of New York talent. Each
of the 2007 StarChefs.com New York Rising Stars has figured out
for himself how to conquer the odds, making it in one way or another
in one of the most challenging markets in the world. Of course,
making it means different things to different chefs. It
might mean making simple, refined and, (just so happens to be) sustainable
food for a consistent Brooklyn dining audience, or spending 4 years
just outside the city, then moving back to simultaneously rejuvenate
a classic New York restaurant and retain its New York Times
3 stars. Or it might mean becoming the destination in New
York for hand-massaged octopus, and quickly garnering a reputation
as one of the best sushi chefs in the city.
Their paths are different and so are their destinations; however,
they all share an uncompromising palate, sense of culinary identity,
pride in their work and timely concept - that's why StarChefs.com
named them all Rising Stars. A Rising Star is not a fixed concept:
Rising Stars are future industry leaders with varying levels of
current media attention and "success." They all
have room to rise, and it is our belief that they will only grow
in their already impressive careers, further shaping their local
culinary communities and the larger, dynamic national culinary discourse.
Without further ado, the 2007 New York Rising Stars, and why they
shine...
Michael
Anthony, Gramercy Tavern
 WHAT
MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Michael Anthony's ingredient-focused, seasonal cuisine
is delicate, confident and precise. His foundation was formed through
years in French kitchens, both in France (L'Astrance, L'Arpege
and Jacques Cagna), and New York (Daniel). Years
as chef at Blue Hill at Stone Barns with Dan Barber taught
him respect for earthy ingredients and an eye (and hand) for using
them to their fullest. Poached lobster is paired with a piquant,
acidic ramp-based sauce, to which sorrel and the julienned fresh
leaves are added at the last moment. Plating is elegant, colorful
and purposeful: his Spring Vegetable Medley captures the season
in its vibrancy of color, taste and texture, and so doing embodies
Anthony's philosophy of elevating humble ingredients to the greatest
heights.
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- Marinated
Calamari with Cured Meyer Lemons, Julienne Carrots, Toasted Pine
Nuts and Flying Fish Caviar
- Hot Smoked Brook Trout with Sunchoke Puree and Pickled Onion Vinaigrette
Davidburke & Donatella
WHAT MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Eric Hara went straight from childhood imitations of Emeril
to culinary school in Santa Barbara, later gaining experience in the
kitchen of Michel Richard's Citronelle and Mimosa,
where mentor Camille Schwartz taught him the basics. At Davidburke
& Donatella he carries on the tradition of playfulness, serving
conceptually exciting, refined dishes that are in the David Burke
style, but completely his own. "PB & J" is a napoleon-like
dish - a torchon of foie layered with sweet and savory, visually reminiscent
of crust-less peanut butter sandwich. "Falafel Chops" is
a cleverly composed plate of lamb chops and a ball of lamb-spiked
falafel wrapped around the end of a bone, with cucumbers, creme fraiche
and spiced chickpeas.
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- Falafel Chops
- Foie
Gras "PB & J"
Craig
Hopson, Picholine
WHAT MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Craig Hopson fell into cooking at the age of 15 - he was surfing
all day and needed a way to make money at night. During the requisite
4-year apprenticeship program he worked all over Australia before
heading to Europe, where mentor Alain Senderens of Lucas Carton
taught him about 3-star Michelin cooking, bright flavors, and
exciting ingredients. He's spent nearly 4 years at Terrance Brennan's
recently re-vamped Picholine, where his clever, bold, intricate
cuisine took us by surprise. His love for exciting technique is
only apparent to those who know look for it; he takes chicken kiev
to the next level-sous viding and filling it with a liquid foie
gras-Madeira-truffle center before breading and frying. A love of
bul go gi inspired Frog "Wings" Tempura, a dish that takes
a bit of poetic license, with its frog leg lollipops, celery kimchee,
fried celery and buffalo sauce.
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- Squid Ink Linguini with Calamari, Chorizo Aioli and Paella Broth
- Frog
"Wings" with Celery Kimchee
Chris
Lee, Gilt
 WHAT
MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Chris Lee grew up with a family restaurant on Lexington Ave, a penchant
for Julia Child and Yan Can Cook, and jobs in local Long Island
restaurants starting at age 15. After college he headed to San Francisco,
enrolling as a full-time student at the California Culinary Academy
and working 6 days a week with Bruce Hill and later as Garde Manger
at The Fifth Floor. Back East he spent time under Alex
Lee at Daniel and Neil Gallagher at Oceana, who
opened his mind to flavor theories and profiles, and taught him
to break down "every fish known to man" - knowledge which
he put to use in his 2½ years at The Striped Bass in
Philadelphia, first as Chef de Cuisine under Alfred Portale and
later as Executive Chef. At Gilt he has taken the mantle
of leader and teacher, running a 3-year "sous chef training
program" and teaching his staff classic techniques in his spare
time. His seasonally-inspired dishes are remarkable for the skill
with which they're conceived and executed - a dish of Maine scallop
ceviche with sea urchin, shiitakes, julienned sugar snap peas and
a tangle of fried wonton is a perfect balance of texture, weight
and flavor, while a house made bratwurst and pretzel roll, with
fennel "sour kraut" and a Belgian beer sauce, left us
speechless (we were too busy filling our mouths).
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- Maine Diver Sea Scallop Ceviche, Pacific Sea Urchin, Shitake Mushrooms,
Fresh Wasabi, Yuzu Carrot Caviar
- Haus-Made
Bratwurst on a Pretzel Roll, Cornichon, Sour "Kraut,"
Brussel Sprout Leaves, Belgian Beer Cheese Sauce
Akhtar
Nawab, The EU
 WHAT
MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Akhtar Nawab left college to take a job as a bus boy and dishwasher
in a restaurant in Kentucky, moving up the ranks to pastry, where
he spent the next 4 years. At 23 he moved to San Francisco to attend
the California Culinary Academy. After school he met Loretta Keller
at Bizou, where he learned all about ingredients - how to
recognize quality and how to preserve their integrity. Nawab gathered
fine dining experience with Roland Passot at La Folie, and
in the late 90's met Tom Colicchio who mentored him through his time
at Craftbar. Now at the The EU, Nawab creates simple,
thoughtful dishes, manipulating seasonal ingredients with precise
technique. Focusing mostly on underappreciated foods (liver, tripe,
pot pie), Nawab creates rustic, hearty, European-inspired dishes like
pickled tongue tourchon with Marcona almonds and pickled ramps.
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- Pickled
Tongue, Porcinis, Marcona Almonds
- White Asparagus, Smoked Sablefish, Smoked Roe
Masato
Shimizu, 15 East
WHAT MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Masato Shimizu coaxes the maximum amount of flavor, texture
and integrity from his ingredients, proving that it's not just about
the freshness of the fish, but the cut, the care and the technique
as well. He spent the requisite 7 years training with a master chef
in Tokyo and 4 years at New York's Jewel Bako before opening
15 East with Marco Moriera last year. Shimizu is a wealth
of information, happily sharing the techniques that make his preparations
so noteworthy, like that for his Portugese octopus, massaged with
salt for 20 minutes before being poached for 40. Slices of Japanese
snapper are shocked in salted ice water to tighten and bring out of
the flavor of the flesh then decorated with yuzu skin and ponzu; a
marinade of aromatic dashi mellows the saltiness of salmon roe, and
highlights the sweetness of the eggs.
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- Madako
Octopus Boiled in Water, Sake, Soy and Vinegar
- Sliced "Shocked" Snapper with Ponzu and Yuzu
Yosuke
Suga, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
 WHAT
MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Suga's dishes are all about texture. Like the chef himself,
they are delicate and understated - and a mixture of modern French
cuisine and Japanese philosophy. While there is no doubt that he
is first and foremost a French chef - nearly 10 years of working
with Joël Robuchon, opening L'Atelier Tokyo and now New
York, plus a background at his family's French restaurant in Nagoya,
Japan have cemented that - he brings a modern mind and a light hand
to the task, steering away from classic pairings of meat, wine and
cream, leaning towards herbs, jus, and delicate broths instead.
As Executive Chef at L'Atelier he, like Robuchon, works
first and foremost for the guest, making elegant, modern French
dishes like sea urchin in a warm fennel broth served in a stunning
speckled urchin shell.
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- L'Oursin: Sea Urchin in Warm Fennel Broth
- L'Amadai: Pan Sauteed Amadai with Lily Bulb in a Yuzu Citrus Sauce
Damon
Wise, Craft
WHAT MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Growing up in Baltimore, Damon Wise was inspired by his
grandparents' hearty German-American crockpots and casseroles, and
started cooking as a second job to support himself while going to
school at night. After 1½ years at the Baltimore International
Culinary College, Wise took off for New York, where he refined his
skills with Scott Hoyland, Georges Perrier, Christian Delouvrier,
Laurent Tourendel and Michel de Pergot. Under Hoyland's guidance,
Wise went to Gramercy Tavern where Tom Colicchio became
Wise's business mentor, showing him how chefs can build successful
empires and expand. Now at Craft, Wise uses seasonal ingredients
to compose dishes with impeccable technique and unexpected flavor
combinations like his braised snails with sunny-side-up quail eggs,
black olive and coconut.
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- Hamachi, Ginger, Puffed Rice
- Braised Snails, Quail Egg
Tim
Butler, Alto
 WHAT
MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Tim Butler is a calculated rebel of a pastry chef, challenging
the way we think about pastry with unpredictable flavor pairings.
In his Meyer lemon and ricotta tart Butler cuts the soft, mild cheese
with a limoncello and gin gelee. The flavors are familiar but not
in this context; Butler incorporates them seamlessly, brushing a
sable Breton with olive oil, garnishing logically with micro sorrel,
and seasoning with salt. Butler sharpened his skills at Aquavit
under Marcus Samuelsson who inspired him to look at food from new
perspectives and disregard the general rules that divide sweet from
savory. Butler worked at Daniel in NY and Providence
in LA before taking the Pastry Chef position at Alto.
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- Meyer
Lemon Ricotta Tart with Limoncello and Gin Gelee
- Mango Carpaccio with Vanilla Maldon Salt, Star Anise Bavaroise,
Passion Fruit Sorbet
Bill
Corbett, Anthos
WHAT MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Bill Corbett had a hard time finding pastry work until a fellow cook
gave him Pastry Chef Lincoln Carson's card; Carson would become Corbett's
first mentor, helping him build a strong pastry foundation. After
Carson, Corbett spent valuable time in Wylie Dufresne's kitchen, where
Sam Mason showed him how to manipulate the pastry foundation and break
the rules intelligently. At Anthos, Corbett (who has no Greek
background) had the interesting task of creating a modern Greek dessert
menu. His creations came from intensive research and were inspired
by everything from classic Greek street food like loukoumades to the
complex, multi-faceted flavor of sesame. In his highly-conceptual
sesame dish, Corbett creates an ultra-modern sesame ice cream encased
in a thin frozen biscuit-like shell with Metaxa (a Greek brandy) caramel,
halva crumble, black sesame toffee and tahini ganache. The monotone
abstractions of tan and beige are striking and the flavors, teetering
on savory, are bold and well-balanced.
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- Loukoumades
- Sesame
Doug
Psaltis, Country
 WHAT
MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
From the amuse of a single candied cherry tomato on a skewer to
the finale of lamb shish kebab with tzatziki, hummus and rosemary
inspired by the Greek character of Astoria, Queens, Doug Psaltis'
makes it clear that hotel food can be provocative and sensual. Psaltis
manages the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus at the café
and fine dining restaurant, The Carlton's room service and 9 banquet
rooms, as well as on and off-premise catering. He started his career
at 10 hanging onto his grandfather's apron-strings at a diner in
Queens, where he layered the tuna melts with cheese. Since then
Psaltis' drive and determination has pushed him onwards to work
for New York mentor chefs David Bouley, Wayne Nish, and Laurent
Tourondel, most recently finding a home at Jeffrey Zakarian's Country.
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- Frog Leg Beignet with Garlic Mousse and Water Cress Puree
- Astoria
Lamb Kebab
Daniel
Eardley, Chestnut
WHAT MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Daniel Eardley went to the Culinary Institute of America
at 22 with 9 years of restaurant industry experience already under
his belt. What appealed to him immediately was the huge resource
available to students: the 70,000 volume library of food-related
non-fiction. Although his menu doesn't advertise it at all, Eardley's
products are sourced from Long Island farm stands, his mom's house
upstate, as well as the Greenmarket in Union Square. Eardley calls
Chestnut, where he's been for the past 2 years, a restaurant
without a singular cultural identity. The constantly changing seasonal
menu is eclectic - from English pea pansotti, an Italian filled
pasta with Mascarpone foam, to crispy soft shell crab tacos with
a spicy salsa roja.
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- English Pea Pansotti, Asparagus, Herb Salad, Mascarpone Foam
- Chilled Pea Soup with Smoked Ham Hock and Chive Blossom
Chris
Santos, The Stanton Social
 WHAT
MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
At The Stanton Social, Chris Santos's dynamic, hip space
keeps him on the radar, and the clever, bold, fun food keeps diners
piling in. The concept is shareable food in a distinctly American,
distinctly New York fashion: dishes that draw from a range of the
city's culinary ethnicities, and attention-grabbing, playful presentations.
Santos is all about simple and whimsical updates on classics, like
crab cakes in corn dog form, French onion soup reconstructed as
dumplings, and rich chicken mole enveloped in crisp tortillas for
a plate of amuse-sized bites. Santos reads his diners well: he knows
the way people eat is changing, that entertainment value is worth
more than ever - and his execution of the concept is one of the
best around.
The Dishes that Clinched it:
- Crabcake
Corn Dogs
- French Onion Soup Dumplings
Jim
Meehan, PDT
WHAT MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Mixologist Jim Meehan worked at Pace before landing
a job at Audrey Saunders' The Pegu Club and Gramercy
Tavern. While holding those jobs he opened the East Village speakeasy
PDT; the little bar is Meehan's homage to Prohibition culture,
with an unmarked entrance through a neighboring hot dog joint and
cocktails inspired by the classics. But it's the not the quirky animal
mounts or the unusually low price point on the high-end cocktails
that make him stand out - it's the way in which Meehan approaches
the craft: seriously and with great passion, tasting as he goes, stirring
with a shockingly stationary wrist, and creating drinks that are layered
with flavor and history.
The Cocktail that Clinched it:
- Tea-Quila
Highball
Stephane
Colling, The Modern
 WHAT
MAKES THIS RISING STAR SHINE:
Sommelier Stephane Colling grew up interested in fruit
juice and sports; wine-loving parents helped hone this interest,
and a knee injury took him off the pitch and onto the dining room
floor. He attended restaurant school in Alsace, was the sommelier
for the French Minister of Defense, studied at Oxford while working
at the three-star Waterside Inn, and eventually moved to
the US and to be wine director at The Castle at Tarrytown,
Compass and Alain Ducasse at the Essex House.
On the floor, Colling strikes a remarkable balance between being
serious and conversational - he's self-assured, incredibly knowledgeable
and completely approachable.
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